Three emergency departments in Greater Manchester will routinely test people aged 16+ for HIV and he
This is now taking place at Manchester Royal Infirmary, Wythenshawe Hospital and North Manchester General Hospital.
Routine testing for HIV and hepatitis C within emergency departments means that more people will get tested, helping those who need it into treatment and care as early as possible. More than two in five (42%) of people diagnosed with HIV in England are diagnosed at a late stage – this can have serious consequences for their own health and the health of others through unknowingly passing on the virus.
Routine HIV testing is supported by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and the British HIV Association. It is also now standard practice in antenatal services, where the reduction in HIV transmission to babies has reduced to almost zero.
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